Sixty students in Fort Belvoir’s Home Educators organization converged on Pullen Field, Friday to compete in the first-ever Child and Youth Services Gold Medal Games, an event geared to give the installation’s home-schooled youth a chance to face off in friendly competition in a variety of sports.

According to Julie Libert, event host and CYS sports and fitness assistant director, the Games came about as an effort to promote fitness and athletics across the entire age demographic on post.

“This event is to help the Homeschoolers kick off their school year,” she said. “CYS has a fitness class, which is basically PE, for the kids at the Child Development Centers and the School Age Center, and we do fitness and introduce volleyball, soccer, basketball and others. We’ve always wanted to bring the Homeschoolers into the fitness and sports program and now we’re able to offer these classes.

“Now, we have the Homeschoolers included with the youth from the CDCs, the Markham SAC, and the Teen Center,” Libert said. The class runs from September to May, and is filled up for Wednesday and Thursday classes, with about 120 kids registered. “We have tons of new programs available and we’ve added a total-body fitness program to the Teen Center’s program,” adding last week’s Gold Medal Games were designed for youth ages 5-16 years.”

The homeschoolers spent the 90-minute fitness session competing at various stations, including shuttle runs; timed jump rope and basketball free throw; soccer goal kicking; and golf archery, during which participants chip-shot at a bow-and-arrow style target.

For information about sports and fitness programs available for youth at Belvoir, call Libert at 703-805-9138 or visit https://belvoir.armymwr.com/categories/cys-services.

Information about the Belvoir Home Educators is available from https://www.homeschool-life.com/va/bhe/.